Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Pike County, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Pike County, MO. How do you hold a driver responsible and recover great compensation for your damages when you have been harmed in a hit and run crash? Call the Pike County, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can start working for you and securing for you a great recovery for your Pike County, MO hit and run accident.

When a negligent driver willfully breaks the rules of the road and hurts you or a loved one, it is common to feel shocked and outraged. It is particularly upsetting when the reckless party will not take responsibility for their negligent driving and runs away from the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be puzzled about who is going to reimburse you for the damages to your property and you or your family member's injuries. The devoted, experienced and knowledgeable Pike County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold reckless and knowingly irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you make sense of the situation and will fight by your side to maximize your compensation and get you on the path to healing. Call us right away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case evaluation.

In the United States in 2016, 2049 people were killed in hit and run accidents, which was a 62 percent increase from 2009. Of those who died, nearly 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately one in five pedestrian deaths occur in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident takes place every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury arising from a car crash can be traumatizing and produce life-long consequence or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases exacerbate that trauma as you may not receive medical care right away, and you may be unsure of who to trust or how to seek fair compensation for your injuries and damages. Our team of veteran and knowledgeable hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped individuals and families hurt in hit and run accidents in the Pike County, MO area get full recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you contact us at (314) 500-HURT, we start working on your case at once, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

If you have been injured in a hit and run accident, check out our personal injury calculator to see how much you may be able to recover in compensation.

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys: Understanding the Laws in Pike County, MO

If a motorist behaves negligently and hurts you in a hit and run accident, they are not only culpable for your injuries, they are a lawbreaker. In Missouri, driving away from the scene of an accident is a crime. When a motorist causes or is involved in an accident, the law dictates that they must:

• Stay at the crash site
• Move their car if it hazardous to other drivers, otherwise, wait until directed by police
• Help anyone who is hurt
• Call the Pike County, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in bad weather
• Swap contact info and insurance information with other people involved
• Stay at the scene until a police officer tells them differently

Furthermore, an accident report needs to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident causes injury or a fatality.

Missouri Statute 577.060 classifies “leaving the scene of an accident" as a Class A Misdemeanor, which is the most serious misdemeanor offense and carries a maximum penalty of one year in county jail and a fine of $2,000. However, leaving the scene becomes a Class E Felony if any of these three conditions are met:

1. Physical injury was caused by another party;
2. Over $1,000 in damages was caused to another party’s property; or
3. The defendant has previously left the scene of a hit and run accident.

A hit and run turns into a Class D Felony if the accident becomes fatal and results in somebody’s death. While it is reassuring that we have laws against hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the irresponsible driver will not get you the money you are entitled to. They may be found culpable before the Pike County, MO criminal court, but you need talented and committed hit and run accident attorneys like those at Burger Law who will fight on your behalf until you get the maximum recovery you need to recover. When you hire us, we start working on your case right away and work tenaciously until we win. You do not owe us a dime until we win your case and we will fight tirelessly to make certain the negligent party accepts complete responsibility for their dangerous actions.

Dos and Do Nots After Being in a Hit and Run Accident

While being in any accident is terrifying and can leave you feeling helpless, it can be especially stressful if the negligent person does not respect the rules and leaves the crash site. The rules were enacted for a reason, and it is discouraging and alarming when someone disregards those rules and acts selfishly and irresponsibly. The committed and skilled Pike County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold negligent drivers responsible and win you the compensation you are entitled to. It is important to know what to do and what not to do directly following your accident, so you can increase your odds of getting the best possible compensation:

• DO NOT flee the scene yourself. You could think the damages are too minor to want to deal with the nuisance, or you may be afraid that you are partially responsible. Leaving the scene of a crash will make it much harder for you to receive compensation for your injuries, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical treatment. The health and safety of everybody there should be your primary worry. If you or somebody else is hurt, focus on keeping them in a stable condition and wait for Pike County, MO emergency services to arrive and provide aid.
• DO NOT wait to call the police. Missouri law requires you to call the police in any accident that causes over $500 worth of damages or causes bodily harm or a fatality. Even if you are not certain what the extent of the damages or injuries are at that moment, having a police report will help immeasurably in proving your case.
• DO NOT pursue the driver. When you are hit by another vehicle in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are normal reactions. You may want to follow the driver and find out who they are. That is Pike County, MO law enforcement’s obligation. Going on a wild goose chase not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at increased risk, but it will hamper you from being able to get valuable information and may even cause the police to not believe you.
• DO safely note what you are able to about the irresponsible driver and vehicle. To do so, you can:
  • Take photographs. If you are not seriously injured and can take out your phone before the car is completely gone, take as many pictures as you are able to. Even if you cannot get a full license plate number, just part of the number and/or the make, model and color of the car will be a great help in finding the driver. It is also useful to take photographs of any tire marks or other damage to the crash site.
  • Talk to witnesses. Other people in the area might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to confirm your version of events. Make sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, law enforcement officer or Pike County, MO hit and run accident attorney will be able to contact them at a later date.
  • Write it all down. If you did not have time or the ability to take photographs, anything you could observe about the other car or driver will be easier to recall immediately after the crash, and those details will still be of great help to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Pike County, MO insurance company. In the event that the driver cannot be located, you will have to make an uninsured motorist claim with your own insurance company.
• DO call Burger Law at (314) 500-HURT immediately. Our skilled and accomplished hit and run accident attorneys will help you collect evidence, including acquiring adjacent surveillance video and reaching out to witnesses for complete statements. We work with a network of Pike County, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the accident and show exactly how the negligible party caused your injuries.

Here are some helpful links and frequently asked questions for hit and runs and other kinds of car accidents:

Hit and Run Cases in Missouri

In the best case scenarios, police and/or your hit and run accident attorneys will be able to locate the liable driver that caused your damages and hold them responsible for their dangerous driving. In those cases, the determined and knowledgeable Pike County, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make sure you recover the best possible compensation from the driver and their insurance company.

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Hit and Run Accidents

In Missouri, drivers must have uninsured motorist insurance. If you cannot track down the anegligent driver after a hit and run accident, you and your hit and run accident attorneys will need to utilize this part of your policy to make a claim against your own insurance company. In Pike County, MO, there are four specifications that must be met in order for you to make this claim:

1. You sustained bodily injuries
2. The injuries occurred because of an uninsured motorist, or in the case a motorist you are unable to identify
3. You are legally entitled to collect from the at-fault driver
4. All other limits of applicable policies have been exhausted by payment or settlement

In these cases, your own Pike County, MO insurance company takes the place of the negligent party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your damages. However, like other insurance companies, they may still have to be convinced to pay. To have the best opportunity to receive great compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need seasoned and knowledgeable Pike County, MO hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law to fight on your behalf. We have been resisting insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, and will not give up the fight until your own insurance company reimburses you for the money you have likely been paying into their policies for a long time.

Whether the at fault driver is located or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will make sure you get the maximum amount of compensation that you are owed. When you get injured because another driver broke the rules of the road, you deserve maximum compensation for all of damages you have sustained as a result of the accident, for instance: your medical costs, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. No matter how severe your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for all the money you deserve. If you or a loved one in Pike County, MO has been injured in a hit and run accident, call Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online.

Causes of Hit and Run Accidents

It is any driver’s legal and ethical obligation to remain at the scene of a crash. When someone runs away from the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they care more about the consequences for themselves than any damage or injury their careless actions caused. There are many reasons the liable party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Pike County, MO, not having proper insurance can cause you to have your license suspended for up to a year, paying a $400 reinstatement fee, a $500 fine and/or up to 15 days in jail. "No insurance" tickets also remain on a Pike County, MO driver’s record.

• The driver does not have a driver’s license, or has a suspended license

  This also carries stiff penalties and can be either a Class A misdemeanor or a Class E felony, depending on whether you have been discovered without a valid license before.

• A drunk driver or a driver otherwise under the influence of drugs

  A DWI is a criminal charge that can also result in fines, jail time, and revocation of a license.

• The driver may have a warrant out for their arrest

  It might not be surprising that people who have already committed a crime would risk breaking the law again to leave an accident site.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not focusing on the road is careless and dangerous. People can become distracted if they are texting, eating, looking at directions, drowsy or are just thinking about something else.

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may leave the scene of an accident simply because they think they can do so without any consequences. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more probable between midnight and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Pike County, MO roads or sidewalks.

• A panicked driver

  Sometimes the driver has a clean record but simply leaves the accident because they are afraid and do not want to get in trouble. often, these drivers turn themselves in once they have calmed down.

While we cannot control what other drivers do on the road, we can take some safety measures as both drivers and pedestrians. Try to avoid walking in poorly lit areas at night, and when you are behind the wheel, stay alert at all times and never presume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best choice.

No matter the reason a driver decides to leave the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presupposed the pros of running outweighed the cons. The Pike County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will hold them accountable and ensure they understand they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Pike County, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many differing scenarios. We demand maximum compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not let up until you are awarded the money you deserve to put you on the path to recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a free consultation and so we can start working on your case right away.

The Pike County, MO lawyers of Burger Law have the experience and knowledge to help you receive the full recovery you deserve after any accident or injury caused by someone else leaves you injured. Learn more about our fields of expertise below.

• Survival Action Lawyer in Missouri
• Truck Crash Lawyers in Missouri
• Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer in Missouri

If you or someone you care about sustained injuries in a Pike County, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, angry, and anxious. Injuries and their related expenses can upend your life. Burger Law is here to help you heal. When you hire our team of Pike County, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting by your side immediately. We insist that the liable parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you maximum compensation to help you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation to take the first step in getting your life back on track.